| dc.description.abstract | Human communication has undergone various changes over time. The traditional methods of
communication that is oral and written communication have been modified by the invention
of different modes of communication being invented alongside advances in science and
technology. These different modes of communication include the Internet, mobiles phones,
email and posters among others. Posters are a visual mode of communication that could be
textual, pictorial or both textual and pictorial. Posters have been used to disseminate
information about important social issues like education, economic changes, environmental
conservation, health and political issues among others. Though posters are generally
appealing and attractive to the eyes of the reader many a times they could be misleading and
may often cause misinterpretation. The study investigated how Kiswahili health posters are
presented to and interpreted by the inhabitants of Kakamega town in Western province of
Kenya. The main aim of the study was to analyze different meanings accorded to Kiswahili
. (
health posters. The objectives of this study were to determine the nature of information
conveyed by the posters, to analyze the language techniques used to convey information in the
posters, identify and to determine how reading paths assist in interpretation of Kiswahili health
posters. This study employed a theoretical framework of Kress and Van Leeuwan's
ideational, interactive and compositional metafunctions. Kiswahili health posters were
collected from hospitals, major roads, education sectors, health cooperation’s and business
premises. A document research design was adopted. Purposive sampling was used to select
the posters related to health. Data was collected by use of interview schedule, observation and
photoshooting. The data was analyzed qualitatively. It is hoped that this study will benefit
health workers and consumers of information on the posters as it provides new perceptions in the interpretation of posters. | en_US |
